Monday, May 4, 2009

Homemade Almond Milk (Gluten Free, Casein Free, Soy Free)

I had no idea along this journey to health that I would need to give up so many traditional foods. Wheat... No problem! White sugar... No problem!!

But cheese? Milk? Butter? Those things I grew up literally loving to eat... and yet always had a tummy ache and a stuffy nose afterwards. Once I gave up gluten, although I felt SO much better... I knew there were other foods causing problems. I was just REALLY crossing my fingers that milk would not be one of them.

Yet, I realized through a process of elimination that it was. And I have to tell you dairy was NOT easy to give up.

Thankfully though, after nearly 2 months of casein free living, I've realized life is still tasty without milk!

I do not need dairy anymore.

And I am learning how to make substitutes that are SO much healthier for my body and I love being able to create these foods in my own kitchen!

One thing that I've been making a lot in the past few weeks is almond milk.

I tried to make homemade nut and rice milks in the past, but my old blender just wasn't powerful enough to effectively blend them into a delicious beverage.

Tip #1: Pre-soaking the almonds. This procedure not only creates a healthier almond milk because the nuts begin the sprouting process and therefore are able to release more nutrients, but they are also softer and easier on your blender.

Tip #2: Straining the almond milk after blending. Why I didn't think of this when I tried making it previously I will never know... sometimes the best tips are the most simple!

Once I began soaking raw almonds and straining the blended mixture to create homemade almond milk, I couldn't believe how EASY it was!! Almond milk is SO delicious and it's a snap to make at home with a good blender! It's fresh, quick, and very healthy!!

I use this easy unsweetened homemade almond milk cup for cup in any recipe calling for milk. If you prefer a sweetened milk add 1-2 tablespoons of agave nectar or honey while blending. Later this week I will post about other wonderful things you can make with fresh soaked almonds such as almond cheese, and chocolate chip cookies! The best thing about making fresh almond milk at home other than it being incredibly easy and healthy, is that it is also VERY "green." You don't have to waste or throw away any part of the almonds, the almond milk, or the leftover almond pulp. This week I'll teach you how to effectively use those raw almonds without creating any waste while making incredibly delicious and healthy foods!

Method:In your blender add almonds and 3 cups of water *If you choose to sweeten your almond milk add honey or agave nectar to blender with water and almonds. Blend/process on the highest setting for 2-3 minutes to create a thick, creamy almond milk. Using a fine metal or plastic strainer pour blended almond meal mixture through strainer and into a large bowl. Scoop the remaining almond pulp left in the strainer back into the blender and add additional 2 cups of water. Again blend mixture on high setting for several minutes and again pour mixture through strainer. Scoop remaining almond pulp out of strainer and store in refrigerator . At this point you can store the strained almond milk in a quart size glass jar in the refrigerator (for up to 10 days), or you can double-strain your milk using the instructions in the notes below.

I generally like to strain the almond milk a second time because my husband won't drink the milk unless it is very, very smooth!! SO, to strain a second time, I line the strainer with a thin cotton cloth, cheesecloth, or a coffee filter and strain again. The 2nd straining can take 10-15 minutes. I place the strainer over a large bowl, line the strainer with a cotton cloth or a coffee filter (in the picture above I used a coffee filter) and slowly pour in the almond milk. As the milk slowly strains, gently pour in remaining milk mixture. You can speed up the straining process by using the back of a spoon to stir and press the mixture around the strainer (as shown in Meghan's video). Once the mixture has finished straining save the remaining almond pulp in the fridge to use for other recipes.

I personally LOVE using fine mesh plastic strainers! I have a whole set of these and I use them nearly every day in my kitchen for making things from scratch! They do not cost much, and are easy to clean and are quite durable!! They are also perfect for straining homemade coconut yogurts and other foods made with starters because they contain NO metal and therefore do not disrupt the natural fermentation process.

Reader Sara pointed out that making homemade nut milks is MUCH easier using a cotton sprouting or nut milk bag! I couldn't agree more! You won't have to double strain the milk. I actually ordered some of these bags last week, but I haven't received them yet! They will save you a lot of time and kitchen clean up if you have them available.

Soak almonds in clean fresh filtered or spring water and make sure to rinse thoroughly before using in homemade almond foods.

You can use all different kinds of RAW nuts in this recipe, macadamias (although I have heard not to soak them, as it can alter the taste), cashews, pecans, walnuts, brazil nuts, etc... I prefer using raw almonds because they are so mild in taste and really give a beautiful white color to the milk.

16 comments:

If you get really into making nut milk, your life will be so much easier if you invest in a nut milk bag (paint bags from the hard ware store will work for a fraction of the price). When you pour the nut milk through the bag, it catches all the pulp and then you can easily squeeze any remaining milk out of it. It's also much easier to clean up. Pumpkin seed milk is also delicious. For a special treat- try blending with a frozen banana, carob and maybe extra sweetener.

I blogged about this last week. Try flavoured agave. I used hazelnut agave and it provided a really nice taste. I also strained with cheesecloth inside of a wire strainer because I didn't have the patience to do it Meghan's way. I almost bought some of those sprout bags yesterday.

Hey Carrie-Vanilla extract makes a good sweetener as well. I will soon be doing a little demo on seed yogurt and cheese. Also- you can make my ultimate healthy cookie with the leftover almond: http://meghantelpnerblog.com/2008/09/27/new-and-improved-ultimate-healthy-cookie/

Yay! Does this mean you will be doing all GFCF recipes from this point on? We have been GFCF for the last year. I recently fell off (actually leaped off) the cf wagon so to speak and need to jump back on. I used to make my own almond milk and really liked it. I just hated the clean up and time needed to do it. I too look forward to the coconut yogurt post. Never heard of that and it sounds great!

Kim -- I would LOVE a vitamix!! I'm secretly hoping the company will feel sorry for me and send me one! I'll be glad to be a spokesperson!!! HAHA! I would definitely recommend them if you can afford them! Apparently you can get pretty good deal through your local costco as well! ;-)

Meghan -- I've been EYEING those cookies of yours! i actually made some cookies too with the almond pulp! They turned out yummy and I'll blog about them later this week! thanks so much for your continuing support!!

Kim -- YES!! This Ginger Lemon Girl will be GF/CF/SF from here on out. Jump back on that wagon.. I know how easy it is to fall off TRUST ME!! (or ask Clara.. she keeps me honest! haha!!) Thanks so much for reading and commenting!!

Along the lines of what Sara was saying.. you can also just use a clean dish towel and use it as a strainer - gather up the edges and squeeze out the milk that way- that is what I do when I make almond milk, because it's faster. ;)

Before I got a nut milk bag, I always used a cotton towel to squeeze the milk through! It worked perfectly, though it was a little messy. I love my milk bag now. Great tutorial video! Thanks...it's nice to see someone else who loves almond milk!